Opposites Attract
by loving.imperfectly
Summary: To a thief, fear was never on his mind but to a girl who's family abused her, it was all she could think of. - Rated T for a bit of strong language.
1. Chapter 1

Fear.

He was a thief. Born to live with a target on his back. He saw danger eight days a week and death as often as it comes. They came so often in fact that he nodded to them as they passed. A boy like that had nothing to fear. Name it. Name anything. Spiders? He eats them for breakfast. Heights? He basically lives in trees. Ghosts? Friends with several of 'em. Blood? A constant paint that usually decorates his clothes. He was a boy who lived far beyond the haunting of fear. He was sure, without a doubt in his mind, that fear wasn't even a word in his dictionary.

Courage.

She was a school girl. Born into a family that abused her. Through the mirror she saw her fake smile eight days a week and her sadden eyes as often as it comes. They came so often in fact that she didn't even try to make her eyes look "happy." A girl like her ended up having no courage. Name it. Name anything. Boys? Could barely even whisper a simple hello. Crowds? She would hide in the corner. Be given any attention? She would run as fast as her feet could take her. Reality? Was the reason she wanted to live in her dreams. She was a girl who lives far beyond the feeling of courage. She was sure, without a doubt in her mind, that courage wasn't even a word in her dictionary.

But there's that saying where opposites attract.


	2. Chapter 2

Hey guys! So I thought I was just going to leave this as a quick, whatever read, but I decided I would keep writing. It's not a long chapter, but it's how they meet so oh well! Thanks for reading (:

* * *

He was on the run. Again.

You see when people are on the run, they usually have this thing called fear going. It's an emotion that helps prevent you from doing anything remotely stupid that could in fact kill you.

But this boy.

Well.

He didn't know what fear was.

He did whatever he wanted, when he wanted. Sure, he had a "wanted tag" slapped on his back wherever he went. Sure, there were many people who wanted him dead. Sure, he knows that one day he won't be able to get away. But that didn't stop him.

His skills were unimaginable. He was quick on his feet, and could swipe the things you didn't even know you had.

But that's not why he was the number one thief in the world.

It's because no one knew what he looked like.

Things go missing, and the only thing people could do about it was yell his name.

"Black Cat."

He was running right towards some abandoned houses to try and get away from the cops that were chasing him. When he reached the houses, he fell right into the basement underneath.

He took a deep breath. He lost the cops.

He took off his black mask and opened the box he was holding.

The golden key.

To what? Heck. He had no idea.

Why did he steal it then? Heck. He didn't know.

He was a thief. That's what he does.

He found his bag in the corner of the basement and changed into some black sweatpants and a white t-shirt.

Picking up his bag, he left the abandoned houses and headed towards his own house. The black cat was gone, and an everyday normal boy took his place.

* * *

She was hiding. Again.

Her mom was evil. Her dad was crazy. And her sisters?

Well they were mad, completely insane. At least that's how she saw it.

She hid in the closet of her small tiny room that was suppose to be the office, but was instead converted into a room instead.

Her mom was mad, and when she's mad, nothing good comes out of it.

"Mikan. If you don't come out here right now, there will be consequences." The witch barked.

One minute passes.

"Mikan. It's time to come out. Now." Her voice was stern.

Two minute passes.

"Mikan. If you don't come out right now, I will find you and beat the life out of you." she attacked.

Three minute passes.

Nothing.

Mikan knew that if she stayed any longer, she really would get beaten up. So what was the only option left?

Leave the house until her mom calms down a bit.

Slowly she opened the closet door and peeked outside.

Nobody.

She opened it all the way, praying to whoever that the closet wouldn't make any squeaking sounds.

When the door was opened all the way, she quietly walked out and tip-toed towards the window.

Mikan looked out the window. Freedom was right there at her fingertips. If she opened the window and jumped out, she would be free. There wouldn't be any need to hide.

But she couldn't do it.

She couldn't help but let the fear sink into her mind, and slowly drown her.

She thought maybe, once in her life, she would try to be brave. But her legs were shaking, her hands were sweating, and the tears were already welling up in her eyes.

"Ah. There you are Mikan." Freedom was gone, long past gone, freedom was an impossible dream that she couldn't even think of reaching.

"Sorry mom." She looked up towards her mother's angry face.

And so the beating began.

* * *

It was a brand new day, and school would begin once more.

Mikan woke up extremely early, so she could make breakfast for her so called family. She got dressed in her school uniform which consisted of a navy blue skirt which she wore a pair of black pantyhose underneath to cover any of her bruises, a white button up long sleeve shirt, and a navy blue tie.

When she finished getting ready and preparing breakfast, she quickly left the house and headed to school. It was better to go to school early, then get harassed by her sisters on her way to school later.

When she arrived she headed straight towards the library. It was the only place that consisted of peace and quiet. It was her safe place.

Well it was.

But there he was.

The boy who was voted as "best looking" in the school. The boy who could have any girl he wants. The boy who Mikan thought was too impossible to reach. The boy who goes by the name Natsume Hyuuga.

He was there laughing with plenty of girls surrounding him.

Mikan wanted to say something. She wanted them to leave, so she could focus on gathering more books to distract her from reality.

But her voice too busy being caught up in her throat. He vocal chords never strummed.

So instead she walked away from the group, towards some bookshelves farther away to try and zone them out.

But before she did that. She did something that her mind couldn't even process.

She looked back.

Her hazel eyes met a pair of crimson eyes.

They just looked at each other and it felt like it was only the two of them in the room.

Mikan's body froze. She didn't know what was going on, but the only thing she did know was that just making eye contact with Natsume, every girl's dream guy, was definitely the worst thing that could possibly happen.

Seconds felt like minutes.

Then he gave her his signature smirk, and Mikan's senses came crashing back.

Heat rushed up to her checks, and she quickly looked away. She was frazzled to the point that she dropped her books and had to end up looking like a complete idiot picking them back up.

She rushed to the other end of the library and took a few deep breaths to calm her down.

Her cheeks still felt hot, and her mind was infiltrated with images of Natsume's gaze. She felt like she was going crazy. How could one not have control of their own thoughts? It was their own mind for crying out loud.

Then she heard a rustle, and she finally snapped out of her trance. She quickly turned around and there he was once again.

"You come here every morning?" Natsume asked with mild interest.

Mikan couldn't comprehend what was going on. Was he talking to her?

"Huh? W-wha- Oh. Uh. Yeah. I do." She responded as best as she could.

One of his eyebrows lifted just a bit, which showed that his interest in her rose just a bit more.

"Oh well okay. So will I then." He smirked again.

"Are you like trying to hit on me?" She asked, then freaked out right after.

What the hell was going on with her? First she looks back at this beautiful creation and then she asks the worlds dumbest question?

Natsume's smirk widened when he noticed how Mikan's faced looked so troubled, like she was regretting the words that just came out of her mouth.

And he wasn't completely wrong, because well, she was regretting what she said.

"I'm so sorry. O-of course you're not." She shook her head so much that Natsume thought it was going to fall off. "I should go to class now." She picked up her bags, left all the books she found to read later on when she needed a break from reality behind, and started to walk off looking like a complete and utter mess.

And then the unthinkable happened.

Natsume grabbed her arm to stop her from walking off. "The bell hasn't even rung yet."

"I like to be early." She responded, brushing him off and continued walking.

"Hey Mikan." She stopped walking, but didn't dare look back at him. "Just to answer your question. I was _definitely_ trying to hit on you."

Her face flushed once again, and she ran out of the library without even a single glance back at him.

Natsume turned away to walk back to the group of girls he was with earlier feeling completely and utterly satisfied.

Mikan on the other hand.

Well, she was out of her god damn mind if she actually heard him correctly.

But wait.

Her name. She could've sworn he said it.

But how did he know her name?

Was it just her or was the universe falling out of line and the world was heading right towards the pit of what the hell was that?


	3. Chapter 3

Hey, guys! I'm back with another chapter and I decided to make it a little longer this time. Hope you like it. (:

* * *

Mikan entered the classroom and headed for the seat in the back corner. The bell wasn't going to ring for another 20 minutes, so she would just wait in the classroom.

Before she did anything, she needed to get her mind together.

She thought long and hard about what just happened, but that only made her more confused and utterly annoyed.

He was rich. She lived in a room that was suppose to be a small office.

He was grand. She was ordinary.

He was suppose to be a non-existent character in her movie called reality. She was suppose to run away at the presence of him.

But wait.

She didn't.

Well, technically she did.

But she was able to say that one bold line, even if it was a stupid one, before she ran away, so that must have meant something.

'That meant bravery,' she thought.

But then she quickly brushed the idea out of her mind.

Her being brave? It was laughable.

She might have been able to say that one line to some highly recognized guy, but that's not bravery.

Bravery is fighting crime when you know you could get hurt. It's confessing your love when you know you might get rejected. It's stealing random things when knowing full well you could get caught.

So her saying that was not bravery, it was a random question she accidently said out loud.

Yeah. That's what it was. An accident.

"It's not good to run away you know?" And there he was once again, the grand Natsume.

Mikan thought that if she just slowly looked away, then he wouldn't notice her. So that's what she did.

"You know just because you can't see me, doesn't mean I can't see you right?" His voice was smooth and clear.

Of course she knew that, but that doesn't mean he had to tell her.

"Um. I'm sorry. I think you might have the wrong person or something." She said kindly. Really that was the only thing she could think of.

"No, I got the right girl. We just talked like 5 minutes ago, remember?" He smirked.

"I'm sorry, but can you not do that please."

"Do what?" He smirked again.

"That. That smirking thing. It's really distracting." She pointed at his face, then quickly pulled her finger back. "Wait. That's not what I meant. I'm sorry. I was just uh never mind." She quickly looked out the window, thinking it might save her from the embarrassment.

"It's okay to think I'm highly attractive babe." His eyes were sparkling, well at least to Mikan they were.

"I didn't say that." She quickly made eye contact with him and regretted it right after, because once you make eye contact with Natsume, it's hard as hell to break his gaze.

"But you were thinking it." He winked at Mikan and it wasn't one of those "what the fuck did he just try to do winks" it was the "holy shit you are a beautiful human being winks."

Mikan's voice once again did not produce any words, but her mind was about to explode.

"I'm sorry, can you – "

"Would you quit apologizing? I don't get why your saying sorry." He interrupted.

"It's just uh I'm sorry. Wait. I mean sorry uh sorry."

"Ah there you go agai-" Now it was his turn to interrupted.

"Mikan, come here. Right. Now." Mikan's sister was standing by the door, smiling a wicked smile.

Mikan quickly got up and passed by Natsume, but before she walked out, he yelled out to her, "See you around babe!"

Mikan's sister quickly pulled her out of the room and into an empty room.

"What the fuck was that?" Her sister's voice was filled with anger.

"It's not what you think Luna, I swear!"

"Then what the hell was it?"

"He was just... He was uh. Well I'm not really sure what he was trying to do and– "

"So you think he was trying to what? Get to know you? Mikan. Get over yourself. You're so fucking conceited. Gosh this is why mom doesn't like you. Maybe I should tell her that you need a little time outside tonight?" Her voice spit venom.

"No! I'll tell him to stop talking to me. It had to be a mistake anyway. Please don't tell mom to kick me out of the house tonight." Mikan's hands were shaking. This is what Mikan's mind processed as fear, and there was plenty more of that emotion later on.

"Good, go tell him now. He's probably still in that room. Oh, and tell him about me. I'll be expecting a call later on. Thanks baby sis." She smiled, the same wicked smile. Luna walked away and pulled up her skirt a little higher along the way.

Mikan took a deep breath trying to calm her nerves. All she had to do was tell Natsume to back off and contact her older sister. Easy. She took another breath.

Oh who was she kidding. It was the one thing she could not do.

Sure, talking to him was a little easier than talking to most guys, but that didn't matter. It was like rejecting him when he didn't confess his love to her or even just a confession of friendship for that matter. Basically it was stupid.

But she had to.

Another night outside in the cold winter, she was sure to die, and she wasn't going to die yet.

She slowly walked into the room where she left him, and there he was. Casually sitting right next to the seat she was in earlier. She walked over to him, but kept her distance.

He looked up at her and smirked.

"Missed me already?" He spoke sarcasm like it was another language he was fluent in.

She took a deep breath. She could do this. It was telling this amazing gorgeous guy to back off or sleeping on the cold concrete again. She knew what to do. It was easy, but she sighed anyways. "Um… I was wondering if you could please stop talking to me and talk to my older sister instead. She's really pretty and she's well nice. Well not really that nice, but that's not the point here. I can give you her number, I have it right here." She stumbled her bag and pulled out a small piece of paper, but was gently stopped by Natsume.

He held her hand to stop her from doing what she was doing any further, which casually made the piece of paper fall slowly to the ground. "I don't want it." He kept hold of her eyes, so much so that she felt like her eyes were going to fall out.

"B-but."

"I want to talk to you."

"You don't even know me."

"I know that your name is Mikan Sakura. I know you're different. I know you don't chase me in the crowds. I know that I want to know you, and I know you want to know me too. You may be different, but these charms? Sorry babe, but you're practically already mine." He smirked.

Her breath hitched. It was obviously an involuntary response.

"Well, y-you're extremely brave to think all of that is true."

"Fear makes you boring. And I am definitely not a boring guy."

"S-so what? You're saying you're not afraid of anything?"

"Nothing babe."

"Could you stop calling me that please?"

"Polka it is then."

"Polka?"

"You should probably wear shorts underneath your skirt if you're going to drop your books and pick them back up. The pantyhose isn't doing it for you."

"You peeped under my skirt?"

"You showed me Polka. There's a difference."

"I s-should go back to my classroom now." She slowly backed away.

"Hey Polka." Mikan looked back to see him smirking. Again. "Isn't this your classroom?"

And with that the bell rang.

Students were already filling up the seats in the class, while all Mikan could do was stare at Natsume with her mouth hanging slightly open.

A random kid pushed passed her to get to a seat she was standing by, and that quickly made her senses come back.

She walked towards the seat in the back corner, next to Natsume, still stunned.

"Face it Polka. You can't resist me."

* * *

Natsume thought MIkan was different.

She was interesting.

Of course, he could have any other girl in the world but he didn't want them. He wanted her.

But really, he just wanted some normalcy and she offered him that. This isn't the same thing as using her, no.

She was just a distraction for a man who stole for a living.

Sure he was rich, but it wasn't the same. It was his parent's money, he wanted his own.

But then again, he was stealing it, so it wasn't really his own anyways. He laughed at the thought of that.

He would have a good explanation why he does what he does, but he didn't.

He did it because he wasn't afraid of it. He wasn't scared of almost getting caught or the blood that came with it.

But he thought that maybe a little break would be nice, so what he needed was Mikan. A little distraction, and then he'll go back to his old ways. That's all she is.

A distraction.

* * *

The bell rang once again to notify the students that lunch was starting.

Mikan quickly got up and ran out the classroom before Natsume could catch up to her. She didn't understand what he was trying to do. She was a nobody, and she'd like to leave it that way, but Natsume over here keeps messing with the social balance of the world.

Mikan ran up the stairs to the rooftop to get some fresh air. It was where she always ate lunch anyways.

She pulled out one small rice ball and a bottle of water which was all she was allowed to eat. Then she heard a low creaking sound that meant the door was opening up. Mikan quickly grabbed her food and ran towards the opposite side of where the door was, so nobody could she that she was also there.

"Damn. I thought she was here." Natsume said.

Mikan thought that Natsume was going insane. Why was he even looking for her?

When she heard the door shut back up, she gave out a long exasperated sigh and walked back to where she was originally sitting.

She slowly ate her rice ball, because she thought that if she ate it slowly, it would actually fill her up.

"You can't hide from me forever you know?" His voice rang again.

'Yeah, but I'm really good at hiding.' Mikan thought.

"I thought you left. I didn't even hear the door open back up." She said staring at her rice ball. She refused to make eye contact with him.

"I shut the door and waited over here –" He pointed at one corner of the rooftop. "-for you to come back out. I saw you get up and hide over there." He smirked.

"Oh." That was all that she could muster.

"Okay look Polka. Maybe we got off on the wrong foot. Honestly, I don't see how though. Your panties were a great introduction, but let me go out of my way of saying, 'let's be friends.'" His smile didn't look serious at all. "That occasionally kiss and make out." He finished.

"So friends with benefits?" Mikan asked innocently.

"Okay. That works for me." He grinned.

Mikan looked puzzled. Was he actually being serious? She didn't have much to offer. Sure, she wasn't ugly, but she couldn't be label super model status either.

"I'm sorry, but I would like to decline your uh offer." She said politely.

"You're probably troubled with the kiss and make out thing aren't you? Okay, I'll cut that out. Sure it wont be as fun or exciting, but I'll deal with it."

"I'm sorry. I would still like to decline your offer. C-could you please contact my sister please? She would love to take that offer up."

"The offer was for you Polka. Don't worry, I'll kindly take your rejection and try again later." He looked down at his watch. "Which will be in about 5 minutes, so try to change your answer next time okay babe?"

She thought she was confused before, but now she was in what the fuck land for sure.

"I-I would like it if you please ask my sister that." Her voice was shaking.

"Sorry Polka. No can do."

"But why? Please Hyuuga."

"Dammit. On last term bases. This is going to be more annoying than I thought."

She chuckled, once again an involuntary response because if she did have control, she would not have done that.

"Can I take up your offer if you please call my sister tonight?" She asked.

"The offer that involves kissing and making out?" He rose one eyebrow.

"Sorry, but that I can't do." She laughed.

"It'll happen on its own I guess." He looked into Mikan's eyes. "Eventually."

Mikan went through her bag, picked up a small sheet of paper with Luna's number in it, and gave it to him.

Then the bell rang.

* * *

The rest of the day went by like a blur to Mikan. She was constantly occupied in her own mind, wondering what the hell was going on half the time.

But the good part was that Natsume was going to call Luna. Sure, she felt a pant in her chest when she thought about it, but that didn't matter. It meant that she didn't have to suffer another beating.

Mikan quickly left school and arrived at her house a couple minutes later.

The time passed by with her doing her homework and thinking about what happened earlier that day. She was so occupied with her homework that she didn't even realize how late it was.

10:00 PM.

"Mikan! Why the hell hasn't Natsume called me yet? What the fuck were you doing when I told you to give him my number?" Her voiced was so loud, Mikan could've sworn the neighbors heard.

"I-I did give it to him Luna! Just wait. He'll call!" Mikan said trying to earn her forgiveness for something she had no control over.

Luna grabbed a chunk of Mikan's hair and pulled on it so hard, Mikan's eyes were tearing up. "Are you trying to tell me that he doesn't have time to talk to me? Or even worse, that he doesn't want to? You probably didn't even give my number to him, because you wanted him for yourself. You fucking slut." She spat.

"No! I swear I didn't mean that. He could just be busy!" Mikan pleaded. Then her mom walked into the room and she knew this meant hell.

"Mikan what the hell is going on? I heard everything from Luna. Stop being a slut Mikan. Just wait until your other sister gets back home. She'll teach you to know better." Luna let go of Mikan's hair, only to let her mom take over.

Mikan's mom slapped Mikan right across the face leaving it red and swollen. Then she kicked her to the floor, and continued kicking her until Mikan couldn't resist any longer.

When the phone rang, she thought it was some kind of miracle gracing her. Her mom and sister, both ran to go check on the phone to see if it was Natsume.

While Mikan, well she ran out the house. Her whole body ached, but if they did anymore, she might end up in a coffin.

"Mikan, it wasn't him! Get your ass back inside the house!" Her mother yelled.

The cold air hit her face with the slow stream of tears dripping down.

She ran farther down the street into some abandoned houses to get away from her mother. She could hear the car start up in the distance which only made her run faster.

When she entered the house right down the middle, she fell into the basement. Her scream echoed through the night.

But when she looked up.

She saw him.

Natsume.

Holding the mask of the famous Black Cat.


End file.
